Avatar: Emergence
by HakushoRurouni
Summary: A single choice altered the fate of a man, a family, a nation…a world. In the wake of the Avatar's death the Fire Nation thrives on the chaos it has set upon the innocent. And in the midst of it all the fate of the world hinges on the choices of a few.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So here we are again ladies and gentlemen with the second part of the planned quadrilogy that is _Avatar: The Fall. _Anyway, I'd just like to thank those of you who have followed me over from part one for your continued support! I'm ecstatic that you all are back and I can't wait for this story to get underway! That being said, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. I do however, own Azzan, Kia, Nova, the dear old couple Seto and Mara and any other OCs that come about.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

_Fire Nation Capitol—Four days after Aang's death._

"All hands to your posts! By order of the Fire Lord we leave for the colonies in ten minutes to begin purging the lands of any and all Water Nation citizens!"

Complete pandemonium flooded the docks of the Fire Nation Capitol as soldiers rushed back and forth through the throngs of panicked civilians in order to get to their posts. Taking measured steps, Azzan couldn't help the weary sigh that escaped his lips as he wove his way through the crowded streets.

News of the Avatar's death had traveled fast from the walls of the palace—though Azzan guessed it was unavoidable with Princess Azula's return a few days prior being heralded by the Fire Lord himself and the eerie old twin sisters Li and Lo.

"_All hail the mighty Princess Azula, slayer of the Avatar! Let the world know that none can stand before the Fire Nation!" The twins shouted in unison as the palanquin bearing the princess moved forward. _

_Standing in the crowd, Azzan felt the breath leave his body as their words hit him square in the chest. '_The Avatar…dead?_' He couldn't believe it, this wasn't how things were supposed to play out—he wasn't supposed to go out hunting Water Tribe descendants for the psychotic dictator of his homeland! Kia, his _wife_, was Water Tribe for Agni's sake! _

_He continued to watch the procession as the princess stood victoriously atop her palanquin, her arms crossed and a wicked smirk on her face. The Fire Lord stood imperiously on the steps of the palace waiting for his daughter, the same look of satisfaction present on his lips. _

_And the people all around them were eating it up. _

_Once the procession had stopped and Ozai had welcomed his daughter back, Li and Lo came to the top of the massive staircase, each one pulling a scroll from within the folds of their robes and unrolling them. _

"_Attention citizens of the Fire Nation, this is a decree from your Fire Lord to be put into effect immediately!" _

_At this point, the twin who had remained silent took up where her sister left off, "Anyone of Water Tribe descent be they man, woman or child, are to be put to death."_

_There was a soft grumble of protest from the crowd, whispers of dissent, but the sisters continued on in their tag team style of speech. _

"_Anyone believed to be associated with people of the Water Tribe will be brought in for questioning. Those who are found guilty will be put to death."_

_More whispers, though Azzan noticed that they were growing in volume. How were these people supposed to know if they had talked to someone of the Water Tribe? _

"_Anyone discovered to be aiding a Water Tribe national will be put to death. However, those who come forward now will be spared—provided they have pertinent information." _

_This missive was met with even more hostility, things beginning to get out of hand._

"_Finally every home in the Capitol is subject to a mandatory military inspection. Failure to comply will result in the immediate arrest of the home owners to be taken in for questioning and, should their information be deemed useless, put to death."_

_Outright shouting broke out, the once enraptured population now completely enraged by the Fire Lord's declaration. It wasn't long before the royal guard was deployed to control the hostile crowd, fire burning in their palms, their faces hidden beneath the skull-like masks. _

_The emerging riot was silenced quickly at the sight of the Fire Lord's benders and Li and Lo spoke once more._

"_And so it has been declared by the Fire Lord! Those who follow protocol will come to no harm. Long live the Fire Nation! Long live Fire Lord Ozai!"_

Now, as he continued on to his house and pregnant wife, Azzan couldn't help but be eternally grateful for their next-door neighbors Seto and Mara. He had approached them in a panic shortly after he had been informed that he would be shipping out in two days.

"_Ah Azzan! Come in, come in! It's so good to see you," Mara greeted warmly as she ushered him into the small house she and her husband occupied in the capitol, "Seto just stepped out to the market; he said he wanted to resupply the food stores, just in case the Fire Lord's "intervention" goes awry and everyone is confined to their homes the paranoid old geezer!" _

_Azzan felt his lips quirk at the woman's description of her husband. Despite what she said he knew that the couple was incredibly close—they just enjoyed riling each other up. It was a game that they played and had been the initial spark that had drawn Azzan and Kia over to the pair while strolling through the market one day. _

"_Well, you can't blame him," Azzan said after a moment, sighing heavily, "what with the Avatar's death being heralded by yet _another_ attempt at genocide on behalf of our _benevolent_ Fire Lord." _

_He knew his words held more venom and bite than was probably allowed in public, but he couldn't care less at this point. _

_Mara raised a wrinkled brow as concern flitted across her face, "At any rate, you didn't come here to discuss the failing's of our government or my curiosity of a husband. What did you need dear?" _

"_I hate to ask this of you Mara," Azzan began scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, "but I've been assigned to the colonies for the purge. I…I won't be here for Kia when she gives birth and I was wondering—hoping rather—if you and Seto would take her in. It would set my soul at rest knowing that she had someone to help her and be there for her when the time comes." _

_The old woman smiled brightly, "Oh dear, of _course_ she can stay here! Seto has actually been pestering me about asking you two if you needed anything but this will be so much easier than having to go back and forth every few minutes." _

_A relieved sigh broke through the captain's lips at the response, "Thank Agni! Thank you Mara, thank you so much!" A thought struck him then, wiping the smile right off his face, "Mara…Kia is, I mean to say…she's not…umm…"_

_But elderly woman merely chuckled, "Dear, do you think Seto and I were born yesterday? We know that Kia is of the Water Tribe and, quite honestly, we don't care. She's such a lovely girl and, if you ask me, ten times better than any of the other snobs that live around here! So yes, we know the risks and are quite willing to accept them, even if it means we have to stick it to dear old Ozai!" She thought for a moment, a finger on her chin, "_Especially_ if it means sticking one to Ozai!" _

_Overwhelmed at her enthused response, Azzan quickly wrapped Mara up in a tight hug, his mind once again at ease._

"_Thank you Mara." _

_She returned the hug and ran a soothing hand over his back, "Of course Azzan. She'll be safe with us—this isn't the only place we've got to hole up in. So even if the Fire Nation gets wind of Kia's heritage, they'll have a hell of a chase on their hands before they even think of getting their hands on her and the baby." _

_Pulling away she placed a hand on each of Azzan's shoulders, "Now you go home to that wife of yours and dote on her until you're blue in the face! That's an order young man!" _

_With a bright smile Azzan opened the door, "Yes ma'am and again, thank you. And tell Seto thank you as well Agni knows things are stressful enough for him as it is." _

Now, as Azzan cut through the crowd, he felt his heart pounding against his chest. He was shipping out today, heading to the colonies to begin "The Cleansing" and he had to make it back to Kia before the final call.

Finally their house came into view and Azzan felt his heart lighten when he saw his wife, heavily pregnant, out in the garden singing softly to herself while running a hand lovingly over her swollen belly. As he drew nearer, her melodic voice carried to his ears and he heard the lullaby that he had become so familiar to him over the last nine months.

"_Cry no more little child, do not worry on things that you cannot change. _

"_Cry not for what has passed, weep no more on things to come, worry not for I am always with you."_

Silently he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist, "Hello," he whispered softly as he took in a deep breath, inhaling her scent, his worries for the moment, forgotten.

A smile broke out over her face as she laid her own hands over her husband's, "Hello to you too love. Where have you been, hmm?"

All at once Azzan felt the joy leave him. With a heavy sigh, he rested his forehead on Kia's shoulder before answering, "The Fire Lord has ordered the entirety of the navy to ship out to the colonies and…and carry out his purge."

Kia gasped and turned sharply on her heel, a remarkable feat for a woman so far along in her pregnancy, "But the baby…the baby will be here any day now! You can't—surely they'll make an exception!"

Azzan shook his head sadly, "Kia, love, you _know_ there's no such thing as an exception under Ozai's rule! If I don't go now you and the baby will be punished—put to death—I won't have that, especially if I can prevent it!" He gripped her hands tightly, "I _hate_ the fact that I'm being deployed to go kill innocent people and I _hate_ that I'm going to miss my own child's birth but…I'd rather the two of you be safe without me than in danger with me, okay?"

Tears were pooling in Kia's eyes and her whole body began to shake, "Azzan how…what happens when the searches start? Don't you think my eyes will give me away? There aren't exactly an abundance of blue eyed citizens in the Fire Nation!"

It was true. Her ice blue eyes, now shining with unshed tears, had always been vibrant and her most recognizable feature. Everyone that they couple had ever met in the capitol since they had married two years ago had made it a point to compliment the Water Tribe native on her foreign characteristics—her light brown skin, silky brown hair and of course, her eyes.

They always remembered her eyes.

"I talked to Mara a few days ago," Azzan whispered, fighting his own desire to cry, "she and Seto have agreed to take care of you and the baby when it's time." He looked into her eyes, "They're good people Kia, you know that, don't you?"

She nodded and wiped away tears, "Yeah…yeah I know. They've been there for us since the beginning. Plus Mara came over just before you got here and explained everything to me. That's why I was out here in the first place."

Azzan was about to speak when a long, shrill whistle split the air. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, not wanting to believe he had to go, "Kia…"

"I know love…you have to go. I know," she gave him a weak, watery smile, "It doesn't mean I have to like it." She pulled his head down gently and kissed him for all she was worth, pouring every single emotion she had into what could possibly be their last embrace.

Azzan felt the tears falling but did nothing to stop them. He wasn't ashamed, just incredibly sad. Leaving his pregnant wife to go and kill her people? How much more was Sozin's war going to cost the world? Another race? Two?

He could literally feel the little hope he'd had left for peace dying in his chest. He pulled away reluctantly, his eyes shining with unshed tears, "I'm so sorry Kia. So sorry."

Shaking her head, she placed a finger on his lips, "Hush love, please. You know I love you and I know you would rather stay but," she gave a hollow laugh, "…duty calls, right?"

Azzan gave her another soft kiss as the whistle pierced the air yet again, "I love you so much Kia," he paused and laid a hand gently on her belly, "and you as well little one. I love you both."

And then he was gone.

-0-

Three days after Azzan's departure found Kia on the back porch of Seto and Mara's house enjoying the setting sun as it fell below the horizon, it's warmth enveloping the land and it's light sprinkling the surface of the clear blue ocean with breathtaking reflections.

The day had been a harrowing one for the poor woman, as she had been shuffled in and out of the couple's hidden basement every couple of hours due to the Fire Lord's mandatory inspections.

Sighing in defeat at the unfairness of her life recently, she made to get up when she felt something trickling down her leg.

Her water had broken!

"Seto? Mara? It's happening—the baby's coming!"

The elderly couple, who had been lounging inside, appeared immediately and raced to her side, Seto slightly behind his wife. As soon as Mara reached him she began issuing orders.

"Hot water Seto, now!" she screamed as she set herself down by Kia's side, taking hold of the hyperventilating woman's hand, "And towels! On the double!"

"I'm going woman, I'm going! An eighty year old man can only move so fast!"

Meeting Kia's panicked eyes, Mara spoke in a gentle voice, "Come on dear, let's get you inside and into a bed—you'll find it a lot more comfortable than this old chair to deliver a baby!"

Soon enough Mara had Kia set up in a one of the guest bedrooms and Seto was back with the required items and had taken over Mara's hand holding duties. Seto soon found himself regretting his decision as the first of many contractions swept over Kia, resulting in his hand nearly being crushed.

"Blessed Agni above," he groaned trying to get some kind of feeling back into his now numb appendage, "that was only the first one?"

Mara rolled her eyes, "Be quiet you big baby, it's not like you haven't been through this before!" Despite her admonishment, a hint of a smile played at the corner of her mouth.

"Very true Mara dear, but I might have blocked out the whole _pain_ thing!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Kia screamed in agony, "PAIN? WHAT DO _YOU_ KNOW ABOUT _PAIN_? I'LL TRADE YOU PAIN SETO! NO? THEN STOP _WHINING_!"

"Well…that was a little rude Kia. I was just giving you a compliment you know!"

Mara couldn't help but laugh at her husband's affronted look, "I guess Azzan should consider himself lucky that he couldn't be here! Or else _he'd _be the one getting chewed out."

"Oooh! Azzan that _bastard_! Mara, remind me to _kill_ him the next time I see him! This is _his_ _fault_!"

Things went on in a similar manner for the next few hours and well into the early hours of the morning. By this time Seto, despite the pain of Kia's vice like grip, was drifting off to sleep, his eyes struggling to stay open even as his head fell forward onto his chest.

Glancing over at her husband Mara rolled her eyes, "An iron will that one. Don't know why _he's _tired."

She dipped another towel in the now cool water and then ran it across Kia's sweaty forehead. The poor woman looked completely exhausted as she fought off her own urge to fall asleep.

"It hurts so much Mara," the blued eyed woman whispered hoarsely, "I don't want to do this anymore! I just want Azzan; I just want my husband."

"I know child, I know, but you have to keep fighting! The baby is nearly here, just a little longer! And you know that Azzan wanted nothing more than to be here with you for this! You just—"

She was cut off as Kia let out a gut-wrenching scream, jarring Seto out of his sleepy daze.

"YEOW! OOH OW OW OW OW!" He yipped loudly, sounding like a baby moose-lion that had just been kicked, "I think she _broke_ something!"

Neither of the two women paid him any heed though, Kia focused on the explosions of pain she was experiencing and Mara busy trying to coach the water tribe woman through everything.

"Listen to me now Kia, you have to push—I can see the head! Take a deep breath now, get ready—_push_!"

"_GRRRAAAAH! AAAAAHHHH!"_

Seto's cry of pain was drowned out by the high-pitched wails of the newborn infant in Mara's arms. Deftly severing the umbilical chord, she proceeded to wipe the small child clean even as she marveled at the new life before her.

"Kia," she whispered, managing to be heard despite the baby's cries, "she's…beautiful."

The exhausted mother couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her, nor the tired smile that graced her face, "A girl? I-it's a girl? I have a daughter?" At Mara's nod she nearly broke down in tears of joy, "I have a _daughter_!"

The blue-eyed mother gave Seto's hand a gentle squeeze, eliciting a pained gasp from the grizzled old man, and laughed sheepishly, "Sorry about your hand Seto, but thank you _so _much." She giggled when he gave her a weak smile, "I have a daughter!"

"I'm assuming you want to hold your daughter now Kia?" Mara asked jokingly as she brought the now swathed girl to her mother's side, "Maybe you can get her to settle down before she attracts too much attention."

When she finally had her daughter in her arms, Kia felt the air leave her body.

This was her child—hers and Azzan's—and, looking at her now as she wailed away so full of life and energy, Kia could see that she was definitely her father's daughter.

She had Azzan's beautiful ebony hair, a small smattering of it covering her head, and she had smooth brown skin just like Kia herself, as well as her mother's button nose. The defined eyebrows were a dead ringer for her father and her eyes—

"Mara!" Kia gasped as she met her daughter's inquisitive stare, the baby quiet now that she was focused on something she found intriguing, "H-her eyes Mara! They're…they're—"

"Blue and…and gold?" Mara gasped, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth in shock.

"But I see _green_ and _purple_," Seto murmured, his own tone baffled, "and _red_."

Kia shook her head, "Orange? And…pink?"

They were silent for a moment; the only sound in the room the content gurgling noises coming from the object of their attention. How was it possible for a baby to have multiple colors in her eyes?

"I've heard myths of people with two different colored eyes," Seto spoke, breaking the tense silence, "they were believed to be demons or some kind of hell spawn that were usually cast out and discarded by their people, even their families. But this," he explained with a shake of his head, "this is…this is unheard of!"

Kia seemed to shake herself free of shock and awe first, her bewildered frown and concerned eyes giving way to a loving smile as she looked deeply into her daughter's eyes, "You are such a beautiful child. You have the best of your father and I and the most breathtaking eyes I have ever seen."

Here the infant broke into a toothless grin almost as if she could understand her mother perfectly, her glittering eyes alight with what could only be described as happiness.

"And you deserve a name that will do you justice." Kia paused here, wracking her brain for such a name. It came to her seconds later, "I have it my little angel, I have the perfect name for you. In this world there are few phenomena that can take a person's breath away. Of these, there are fewer still that can change one's life. And among those sacred few, only one has the power to completely change a world: a supernova."

She ran a gentle hand through the wispy tufts of ebony hair on her daughter's head as the girl's eyes—radiant and luminescent—began to drift closed in exhaustion, "Nova…that's your name my darling. My beautiful, beautiful Nova."

-0-

The next couple of days flew by in a blur of dirty diapers, crying fits (from both Nova and Seto; the latter in response to the former's spectacular lung capacity) and continual adoration of the tiny girl recently brought into the world.

The Fire Lord's search within the capitol was still in full effect, though it seemed that the soldiers had moved on to different districts as there hadn't been a disturbance on the street since the day of Nova's birth. Countless people were being bullied out of their homes and forced to undergo merciless interrogation simply because they were suspected of defection.

It was early morning and Kia had just finished feeding Nova when Seto burst into the house, eyes frantic and wide, his entire being radiating fear.

"Mara, Kia quick! We have to gather what we need now and pack up as fast as we can! The Fire Lord has issued another decree and I don't think we're going to be able to get away from this one!"

Kia held Nova closer to her, trying to ward off the feeling of foreboding at Seto's words, "What do you mean Seto? What decree? What's happened?"

In response he handed her a piece of parchment with a tear at the top, almost as if someone had ripped it from where it had been nailed up. Thick and new, it bore the royal seal on it in bold, proud characters.

"By order of Fire Lord Ozai," Kia read aloud, "all women within the capital city who are pregnant or have given birth between the time of the Avatar's death and the passing of the new moon, not two days ago, are required to present themselves and, where possible, their offspring to the Fire Lord immediately.

"Failure to comply with this new decree will result in life in prison, the destruction of all property owned by the guilty party and the public execution of the offender's immediate family. The homes that have been searched so far are subject to being completely dismantled and razed if resistance is met and use of deadly force has been authorized in order to ensure the goals of the Fire Nation are met! All hail Fire Lord Ozai!"

The only sound that permeated the silence following Kia's reading was Seto's hurried movements as he threw together clothes, food, blankets and whatever else he thought that they would need.

"Oh Agni," Mara breathed as she rested her head in her hands, "We're going to have to catch the ferry Seto. Preferably before noon, that way we can make it to the farmhouse before nightfall."

The scrambling man nodded, "Yes, that's what I was thinking. We can take the ostrich-horses and the wagon and Kia," he looked over at the shell-shocked woman, "you and Nova will have to hide away in the back so that we can get on without too much hassle."

Kia was still at a loss for words, holding Nova tightly to her chest, "B-but couldn't we just hide in the in the basement again? They didn't find it last time!"

Seto nodded, "While that is true my dear, the Fire Lord has granted them the ability to use lethal force in the event that they believe they are being lied to by anyone they interrogate."

Mara came up to the shivering woman placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, "And while Seto is an excellent liar, we can't say the same for the neighbors. We haven't exactly kept you hidden and Nova's birth—and the sound effects—had to have been figured out by now."

The water tribe native sighed, "I just hate being the reason for uprooting your lives here!"

"Kia," Seto laughed, "Believe it or not, Mara and I had been planning a trip out to the farmstead for a while now, but we just never found the time to actually go or had a real reason. Now we have both!"

"So you're actually doing us a favor child!" Mara said giving her a small smile, "Besides the city is getting less and less appealing every day."

Kia was desperately fighting back tears, a wobbly smile on her face, "Thank you. Thank you so much the both of you. I don't know what I would do without you two."

In less than an hour the three of them had managed to get all that they needed together and loaded onto the wagon. Seto was hitching up the two ostrich-horses that the couple owned as he spoke to the Kia.

"Now listen Kia; as we get closer to the docks you're going to have to hide with Nova in one of the big baskets. I know it's not ideal but let's be honest—you don't exactly blend in."

Kia snorted, "That's the understatement of the year."

Mara laughed as Seto rolled his eyes, "My _point_ Kia, is that you're going to have to keep Nova quiet until we get throught security." He paused briefly in thought, "Come to think of it, you'll have to keep her quiet for the whole trip."

The tanned woman's eyes widened, "How long is the ride?" That task of keeping her week old daughter quiet for any amount of time was a daunting one.

"Barring any unforeseen events?" Mara responded nonchalantly, "No more than four hours."

"Oh sweet La!" Kia gasped, panic written all over her face as she stared down at the sleeping bundle in her arms, "I don't think that's possible, she's sleeping now but once she's had her nap, she's a menace!"

Seto shrugged, "Very true, the girl certainly knows how to holler. But we have no other choice; neither of you would make it through security without arousing suspicion. You're just to different."

Seeing the distraught look on the youger woman's face, Mara gave her shoulder a squeeze, "Relax Kia, everything will be fine, you'll see."

-0-

She really should have expected it, she knew. What had made her think that even attempting this would go off without a hitch? Seto's plan had had a gaping hole in it from the very beginning and yet none of them had managed to see it.

Dirty diapers _reek_.

And it seemed to Kia that this particular diaper contained some of Nova's most…_potent_ poo to date. She loved her daughter very much but being stuck in a basket that just didn't _breathe_ enough with a baby who needed changing was just not fair.

Not to mention that Nova was now getting antsy from the lack of a clean diaper and the feel of her hard work rubbing all over her tender bottom. Thank _La_ she seemed to realize, however farfetched it was, the situation they were in and that her mother needed her to keep quiet otherwise getting through security would have been a _nightmare_ to get through.

Not that it was a picnic.

There had been a really close call when Nova woke up from her nap and was about to start crying from being in the dark when Kia, hearing the guards so close to their position, quickly placed a hand over her daughter's mouth and managed to silence any cries.

That had been their only brush with danger and now, as the ferry drew closer to its destination (which, Mara explained, was far enough outside the capitol city to be overlooked) and the captain gave out last minute instructions, Kia heaved a sigh of relief.

And immediately regretted it as she inhaled, gagging on the foul odor.

'_Just a few more minutes,_' she recited to herself, '_Just a few more minutes and I can get out of here and _kill_ Seto for even thinking up this idea! "It'll be _fine_!" This is the last time I listen to _him_!'_

Soon Kia felt the shifting of the wagon as passengers began departing the ship, each one of them eager to finally be off the ship after nearly four hours of claustrophobic seating. She heard Seto and Mara talking over the rhubarb of the bustling people, something about never catching a ferry in wartime again but she tuned them out as she glanced down at Nova.

Even though there was hardly any light Kia could still make out her daughter's bright, sparkling eyes. It still caused her breath to hitch every time she locked gazes with those glittering orbs.

"I know baby, I know," she whispered softly as the infant let out a displeased gurgle at her continued predicament, "believe me you're not the only one who wants your diaper changed." She placed a soft kiss on Nova's forehead, temporarily placating the child.

There was the sound of wheels screeching to a halt and the protesting of the ostrich-horses as the wagon came to a stop. Seconds later the lid was lifted off of Kia and Nova's temporary prison and the smell of cool, clean air overwhelmed their senses.

"Oh sweet La, thank you! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!" Kia, with Nova held tightly in one arm, wrapped her other around the unsuspecting Seto who had finally deemed it safe for them to come out, "Seto if you hadn't've put me in there with Nova I would kiss you right now. However…" Her eyes narrowed and a scowl took over her face, "It was _your_ idea that led to four hours of smelly, foul, _evil_ _soiled diapers!_"

Her free hand had moved to grab his collar as she proceeded to shake and try to choke the poor man. Seto was pretty sure he was seeing the beginnings of stars in his vision when Mara—he knew he had married her for a reason—called out above the ruckus.

"We're here!"

He was released and unceremoniously dropped to the ground as Kia walked over to Mara's side, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open in surprise, "It's…it's beautiful Mara!"

And indeed it was.

The setting sun was a magnificent backdrop; it's pink, purple and yellow hues accenting the deep green of the healthy, albeit overgrown, grass and fading crops. It was obvious that the couple hadn't been to their farmstead getaway in a long while, but the natural beauty of the place could not be denied.

"It's a little rough around the edges," Mara replied as Seto picked himself up off the ground and walked over to her side, "but this is our home away from home. Not too many people know we own it and even fewer know when it's actually occupied. It's just far enough away on the outskirts of Fire Nation territory that the army and the Fire Lord won't bother us."

Seto chuckled a little as he brushed off some dirt from his sleeve, "What she means is that we're safe here Kia. All of us."

Kia's smile was mirrored by her daughter for all of five seconds before the mother felt something bubble against her hands, which were currently supporting Nova's backside.

With a shiver and a resigned sigh, Kia turned to the old couple, "While I would love to take my time in admiring your lovely accommodations from afar for several unnecessarily long, drawn out minutes…Nova needs a diaper change. Now!"

The farm was officially home.

-0-

The days on the farm passed in relative peace, with only the occasional rainstorm to liven the otherwise monotonous landscape. On their initial arrival Kia had been positive that there was no way she would ever get over the scenic view of the vast fields that stretched onward for miles before giving way to the mountain range far in the distance. As the days grew into weeks and the weeks extending into months, the water tribe woman found herself hard-pressed to keep her sanity.

The only thing that managed to take her mind away from the dull lifestyle she now led, aside from helping Mara and Seto make the farm habitable again, was Nova. Her little girl required nearly round the clock attention but Kia was more than happy to give it.

Now at just over a month old the toddler was beginning to explore, crawling everywhere and anywhere her little limbs would allow, and it was enough to give all three of the occupants a headache. Countless times she had managed to silently slip away from their watchful eyes and get into some kind of trouble. It wasn't out of place to be startled out of a nap by a shrill cry of pain coming from a different room.

"Nova?" Kia called as she continued to knead the dough she was preparing for dinner. The baby had been able to recognize her name whenever it was called, or at least the _sound_ of her name, for a few weeks now and would usually respond with a pleased gurgle when she heard it. This time however, Kia received no response from her daughter.

"Nova?" she questioned again wiping her hands with a dish-towel and abandoning the dough to see if she could locate the toddler, "Nova sweetie, where are you?" She hadn't had her head turned for more than a minute and yet somehow her daughter had pulled her escape act _yet again_!

With a frustrated sigh Kia made her way into the living room hoping that Nova wasn't too far off or, Agni forbid, getting into any trouble.

"Nova _please_ come out baby, you're starting to worry me." There was no sign of her in the living room so Kia moved on to her bedroom, which she shared with Nova. She let out a relieved breath as she caught sight of the baby happily playing with one of her many toys that littered the floor, her thumb in her mouth.

"_There_ you are you little magician you!" she smiled scooping up the child and rubbing their noses together, eliciting a happy giggle, "Are you trying to give mommy a heart attack by disappearing like that? Hmm?" All she got was another gurgled laugh in reply. Picking up Nova's toy and shaking her head Kia made her way back to the kitchen, "Well whether or not you were consciously trying to end mommy's life, I'll let it pass this time, just as long as you stay with me in the kitchen, alright?"

Bright blue eyes met the shimmering multitude of colors within Nova's. The smile that lit her features told Kia all she needed to know.

Setting Nova down in the high chair that Seto had put together for her, Kia went over to the counter, picked up the dough and the cutting board she'd been working on, and brought it over to the table so that she could finish preparing dinner without letting Nova out of her sight.

She tapped the baby on her nose, "I'll not be letting you out of my sight again baby girl, you hear me?"

"Bah?" A surprised look flitted across Nova's face and her eyes crossed as she tried to figure out what her mother was doing.

With a laugh, Kia went back to kneading, her thoughts—for once—focused solely on the bundle of joy next to her.

But a disgruntled grunt from the high chair brought her attention back to Nova, who's face was scrunched up in discomfort, her hands rubbing desperately at her nose as if something was bothering her.

"Nova baby, what's wrong?"

"Mah…mah…mah—CHOO!"

"WAAAAH!" Kia screamed, eyes wide in fright.

There was a crash as the door to the back yard was flung open, Mara and Seto bursting in and glancing around in panic, "Kia," Mara gasped, her eyes darting back and forth, "Kia what's wrong? What happened?"

Shaking Kia only shook her head and pointed at Nova, who was still in her high chair looking incredibly pleased with herself.

"What? What are you pointing at? Is it Nova?" Seto was completely confused, there was no immediate threat and all he could see in the kitchen was Nova, Kia and a loaf of freshly baked bread that looked as if it had just come out of the oven judging by the steam still rising from it.

"_Look_!" Kia insisted, still pointing toward her daughter.

Both Seto and Mara looked again but they _still _couldn't see anything out of place. Shaking his head Seto voiced his opinion, "Kia, all I see is Nova having a grand old time in her high chair and a freshly baked loaf of bread."

"_EXACTLY!_" Kia cried, her eyes wide as she looked at them imploringly, "Exactly! Not one minute ago that bread was nothing more than dough that was ready to be put in the oven! I hadn't even gotten the pan out to put it in!"

Mara tried to placate the frantic woman, "Darling maybe you just—"

But Kia wouldn't have it, "Mara, Seto I am telling you that was not _me_! It was Nova! She…she _bent_! She bent _fire_!"

The couples' eyes widened at this proclamation, hardly daring to believe what they were hearing. They looked at each other, then at Nova and then to each other again as if they were trying to figure out what to say to the distraught mother.

It was Seto that finally broke the silence, "Kia…are you _sure_ it was Nova?"

"Am I sure it was…? What do you think I am, some kind of idiot?" the ferocity in her eyes caused the older man to step back in fright, "Of _course_ I'm sure it was Nova! She nearly bent my _face_ off! Watch!"

Kia marched over to her daughter—who until now had been completely happy just observing the conversation between the three adults—and gently tapped her nose again.

When nothing happened for a few seconds, Mara tried again, "Kia maybe—"

"Wait!" Kia barked, eyes focused on the infant whose face was once again scrunched up in discomfort.

"Mah…mah…CHOO!"

A small stream of flame shot out from her mouth as steam issued from her nose the sight completely taking the elderly couple by surprise.

"B-b-but…wh…by _Agni_!" Seto managed after a pause, "She's…she's a firebender."

Mara seemed at a loss for words, her eyes flicking to Kia who stood silent in front of her daughter, "Kia? Are you alright?"

The water tribe woman heaved a heavy sigh as she sat down next to her daughter, carefully extracting her from the high chair, "Yes Mara, I'm fine. I just…I can't believe Azzan missed it. Nova's first time bending. Bending before she's even spoken a single word!" She seemed to be fighting back tears as she hugged the small girl to her chest, "He always talked about wanting to be there to see it; it didn't matter if our child was a waterbender or a firebender, he just wanted to see it. But…but he missed it."

"Oh Kia," Mara whispered, pulling a chair up next to the silently weeping woman and wrapping her arm around her shoulders, "Dear you know that Azzan would rather be here than doing the Fire Lord's bidding! You know he would've given anything to see Nova bend—he'd probably give anything just to _see_ Nova at all!"

Seto came over and knelt down before Kia, "Mara's right you know. Azzan may not have been here for Nova's first bend, but you do have something special to tell him when he does get here."

"What?" Kia questioned with a sniff, placing a soft kiss to Nova's forehead.

"Most children don't show signs of bending until they're _at least_ six or seven years old—for _any _element. Nova's already shown signs at one _month_! You get to tell your husband that your daughter is a firebending prodigy!"

A small smile graced Kia's tear streaked face as she gazed down at her grinning daughter, "I knew you were special sweetheart. My little Nova."

-0-

Things settled down soon after that, though the adults were a little more conscious of where Nova was at all times due to her random bouts of firebending. The last thing they needed was the house going up in flames because the toddler had a sneezing fit.

The worst incident so far had happened one morning while the little family had been sitting down to breakfast. Once again Nova was sat in her high chair looking completely content. Kia had just finished feeding her and stepped into the restroom to take a quick bath.

Mara and Seto were enjoying a hot cup of tea while trying—and succeeding—in keeping Nova entertained. Seto had just blown a wet raspberry on Nova's stomach and topped it off with a small flick on the nose when they heard a loud _click! _from outside where the ostrich-horses were penned. They brushed it off as nothing until, a couple of minutes later another _click!_ was heard.

Seto looked at Mara before getting up and going to the door, "Mara can you watch the baby while I check on the ostrich-horses? I swear I heard something out here a few minutes ago."

"Of course Seto, though it's probably nothing."

Just as he was opening the door he heard the telltale wind up of another one of Nova's sneezes before Mara called out,

"NOVA _NO_! Seto get back in here! She's doing it _again_!"

Abandoning the investigation Seto bolted back into the kitchen, leaving the door to slam closed in his wake, just in time to see Nova loose another stream of fire though this one caught the edge of the table leaving the once pristine oak finish charred and burned.

The couple stared at the smoking table and were in the same positions until Kia came in, putting the finishing touches on braiding her hair, and noticed the silent couple and smoking table.

"Umm…what did I miss? Hehe…"

-0-

The next week brought about more dirty diapers, rain and several more pieces of smoking furniture that had to be subsequently tossed out. At this rate, Seto was going to be busy for the next month or so making all new chairs, tables and stools just to keep up with the rate of depletion.

Late one evening while gathered around the fireplace, Kia saw something flicker through the window outside in the field. She squinted, trying to get a better look but gave it up as a bad job when she failed to discern anything.

"What is it Kia?" Seto asked from his seat on the couch next to Mara who was busy knitting what looked like a small red blanket for Nova in honor of her bending abilities.

"I thought…I thought I saw something outside, like a fire or light…or something but…it was probably nothing."

Seto frowned as he got up and made his way over to the window. After a few moments of silence he spoke, "Mmhmm…that's definitely a fire. Though it's not wild so I'm assuming someone is out there. Probably just a traveling band of gypsies or something but I'd better go and check it out, just in case."

Kia nodded, "Alright then, I'll just go put Nova down for the night. If you need anything, let me know."

With that she turned to her room, Nova blinking her eyes sleepily at Mara and Seto on the way out.

"I'll be right back Mara," Seto said as he opened the door, "it shouldn't take too long. I'm just going to go and see who they are, ask them if they need anything. The usual."

The old woman sighed, "Just be careful please Seto."

"Always!"

The sound of many loud voices coming from the living room brought Kia out of sleep and back to the waking world. What was going on out there? It sounded as though Seto had brought back an entire _city_!

"Mara! Kia! I'm home! And I brought guests!" Seto's call was enough to get her up and going again and, gently picking up Nova so as not to disturb her daughter's sleep, made her way out into the living room.

She heard Mara's voice first as she responded good-naturedly to her husband's summons, "Seto who did you bring this time? I sweat that with the way you bring in random passersby it'd be a wonder if we haven't fed half of Ba Sing Se by now!" There was a pause before Kia heard a sharp gasp as Mara whispered, "By Agni…"

"Mara," Kia called as she rounded the corner, "Is everything alright?" She stopped in the doorway while glancing down at Nova to see if she was still sleeping, "What is going on he—" she stopped as she looked up, her eyes finding the tall, muscular figure before her, ebony locks falling in disheveled layers in front of his face. Ebony locks that were exactly the same as Nova's…and those eyes…

She could hardly believe it and could barely manage to speak, "A-Azzan?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: There you have it ladies and gents! The first chapter of _Avatar: Emergence_! I know some of you will probably be at my throat regarding proper development for Nova as an infant, but please-it's a story! I'm not going to change too much in regards to the facts of life and things like that, but just bear with me, alright? I've never led you wrong before!

Anyway, please read and review and make sure to let me know what you think! We've started yet another epic journey people, strap yourselves in because it's looking like a bumpy ride!

-HakushoRurouni


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello all! I want to thank those of you who dropped a review for last chapter. I assure you all of them were much appreciated and taken into account where criticism was made! I love you all for leaving your thoughts and words of encouragement. Now, on to the good stuff!

A/N: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender! OCs however...they are mine!

* * *

Ch. 2—Welcome to the Family

"And then Seto came back with you all just an hour ago," Kia finished as she looked fondly at her husband who was reverently holding Nova, silent tears running down his face, "So far we haven't heard anything from the capital other than what we can get out of the few people who managed to get out of there before Ozai's "purge" really came into play."

The entire group, who were now all nursing warm cups of tea courtesy of Mara, let out a weary sigh as one.

"Dammit," Zuko cursed as he clenched his fists, "I don't think I've ever hated my father as much as I do now. I guess it must be in my family's blood to try and eradicate entire races for a misguided cause."

"Wow Sparky way to keep things nice and positive," Toph quipped, rolling her eyes at the ever morbid teen, "It's like you _want_ to cast yourself in a negative light."

Katara squeezed her fiancés hand in support, "She's right you know. You can't always bear the guilt and blame for your family's actions. You can't control what your family is going to do. Just look at Sokka!"

Said warrior, who had discreetly been trying to pick his nose, flushed a deep red and tried to play it off, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'd never do anything like that!"

Suki shook her head at her lovable—though at times _idiotic_—boyfriend, "Sokka, that's not the point Katara's trying to make."

"I can't control his actions anymore than you can control Azula's or your father's! So there's no use blaming _yourself_ over it, alright? What you should do is focus on how we can counteract them."

A small smile tugged at the corner of Zuko's mouth, "Yeah, alright Katara I see your point." He kissed her temple before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, "Thanks."

He got a contented "hmm" from the waterbender as she snuggled into him, her own smile on display for all to see.

Sokka made a gagging sound as he covered his eyes at the display of affection before him, "Oh please, would you two just get a room already? You really _are_ gonna make me hurl if you keep this up! I don't know if you know this but making goo-goo eyes at each other isn't exactly a spectator sport!"

There was an amused snort from the edge of the couch where Ton sat nursing a cup of tea, "Like you have any room to talk Sokka! If I recall correctly you and Suki weren't exactly _discrete_ when it came to _your_ "goo-goo" eyes. I think you managed to give half the inmates at the Boiling Rock the oogies while you were there."

Both teens blushed scarlet at the accusation looking anywhere but at each other while the rest of the assembled laughed merrily.

"Well," Seto spoke as he got up from his seat next to Mara, "I think it's time for this old bag of bones and myself to get some rest. We're not as young as we used to be!"

Mara scowled good-naturedly at her husband, "Old bag of bones, eh? Well it looks like I know _someone_ who's going to be sleeping on the couch tonight—or better yet the _floor_ seeing as the couch will be occupied."

More laughter escorted the elder couple out of the living room broken only by Seto's whines of unjust punishment.

There was a comfortable silence amongst the group for a few minutes before Azzan, mindful of his slumbering daughter, spoke up, "I hate to say it guys but I think Seto and Mara have the right idea. Not to mention I'm eager for a little alone time with my wife and daughter."

Kia's smile could've lit up the entire Earth Kingdom as she followed her husband, "Good night everyone, and it was wonderful to meet you all."

A chorus of "goodnights" heralded them out and into Kia's room for the night.

Ton and Toph were the next two to fall victim to exhaustion, yawning simultaneously and then laughing at each other's faces as they both tried to fight it. Blinking sleepily Toph walked to the blankets that were piled up on one of the vacant chairs.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think I've had enough excitement for one day; falling off of a flying bison can really take it out of you." She snickered but it was interrupted by another yawn. She shook her ebony locks out in an attempt to continue, "If you'll excuse me…I'll be taking up this cozy little corner of the room right…" she tossed the blankets down forming a makeshift pillow, "here. Night."

And she was out.

There was stunned silence before Sokka voiced what they were all thinking, "You know, she's normally abrupt when she wants to go to sleep, but I had no idea she fell asleep _that_ fast!"

Ton laughed, "I admit I'm just a little bit jealous. I could've used that during my stay at the Rock. So many sleepless nights." He grabbed his own blankets and unfolded them across from the earthbender forgoing the pillow, "Goodnight all, see you in the morning!"

Another round of goodnights was mumbled from the two couples who still remained awake.

Of the four of them, only Zuko really seemed to be drifting off, though Katara was not far behind due to the comforting warmth of her firebending fiancé. Suki looked over at the half-awake duo across from them and couldn't fight off the smile that tugged at her face. Even though she had only been on friendly terms with Zuko for a few days and had only seen he and Katara interact with each other for even less than that, she couldn't deny that they fit well together.

Not to mention they were just damn cute.

"I guess opposites really do attract," she whispered softly to her boyfriend as both the fire and water bender's eyes drooped shut.

The boomerang wielding warrior grunted quietly, "I guess."

Suki let out a low giggle, "Sokka, don't be so bent out of shape about it! You can just see how much he cares about her; I mean _look_ at them!"

So he did.

He saw his sister safe in Zuko's arms; safe, content and with a tiny smile on her sleeping face. He saw Zuko, the firebender that he had _finally_ come to understand on their rescue mission to the Boiling Rock, one arm wrapped securely around Katara's shoulders the other resting lightly on her stomach, where she had her own resting atop it. The prince's face was calm and at ease—a sharp contrast to the constant scowl and scar he had worn when they had first met him.

They looked like they _belonged_ there, in each other's arms.

And then his eyes fell back to the couple's hands that were resting on top of Katara's belly. There was a tenderness in the way they rested there that Sokka had only ever seen somewhere once before…but he couldn't seem to recall it. The way Zuko's hand seemed to caress his sister's stomach and the way Katara, in turn, gently held his was setting off bells in Sokka's head, though he had no idea what for.

"Sokka?" Suki asked, concerned after his longer than normal silence, "Are you alright? You look like someone just stole your seal jerky straight out of your mouth."

Her words snapped warrior out of his contemplation. Maybe he just had some lingering feelings of foreboding towards the firebender and he was trying to find any little thing he could to discredit him. That had to be it.

"Yeah…yeah I'm alright Suki. And you know what?" the Kyoshi warrior raised a brow, waiting for an answer to the rhetorical question, "You're right—he does care about her. A lot."

The non-bending couple observed the pair in front of them for a few more minutes in silence, happy to see that there was still room for simple joys and pleasures in their war torn world.

Azzan reuniting with Kia and getting to meet his daughter, Nova. The playful banter of a long-lived couple in Seto and Mara. Zuko and Katara's obvious happiness.

And just being the two of them, Sokka and Suki, being safe in each other's arms.

"Goodnight Suki. I love you."

A soft kiss and a whispered smile.

"I love you too Sokka. Night."

And then the living room was silent, save for the staccato chirps of the crickets outside.

-0-

The warmth of the sun's rays lanced across Zuko's face as he came back from the land of the living, albeit reluctantly, the fire crackling merrily in the hearth just behind him. He sighed into Katara's hair before taking a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the sea and smoldering ashes—the aroma that was indescribably _Katara_.

He wrapped his arms tighter around the waterbender pulling her closer to his chest. It was one of those rare moments of happiness for Zuko; one of the moments that he had squandered so wastefully in his youth. Before his Uncle had helped him see the light and talked him down from trusting his manipulative sister.

His hands drifted down to her belly as his thoughts came to dwell on their unborn child. A thrill rushed through him as he imagined being in Azzan's position; coming home and being welcomed by not only his wife (he assumed he and Katara would be married by then) but by their child. A healthy, beautiful, golden-eyed baby girl who's face lit up as she recognized her father. Or a hardheaded, temperamental blue-eyed boy who took too much after his Uncle Sokka but still managed to make his parents proud at every turn.

A prickling at the corner of his eyes prompted him to sniff as he tried to stave off the threatening tears and he took in Katara's scent. The sea assaulted his senses once more coupled with the smoky smell of oak, stronger this time.

Zuko shifted now as a stifling wave of heat washed over him. He couldn't remember grabbing any blankets last night before he had drifted off with Katara in his arms, and as he went to throw them off, he found none draped over them.

'_Then what—'_

He breathed in again, deeply, and this time the smell of smoke was overwhelming. Listening closer now, he realized the once peaceful crackling had built into a flurry of distended creaks and groans, each one seeming to fall into the next.

His eyes snapped open and then widened in horror—the house was on fire!

"GET UP! EVERYONE, GET UP _NOW_!" Zuko bellowed as he shook Katara awake, her blue eyes opening in a panic at his raised voice, "WE HAVE TO MOVE! THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE! SETO! MARA! AZZAN! KIA! _GET UP!_"

Toph and Ton sat bolt up right both of them getting to their feet and making for the door, Toph's eyes wide with fright as she cautiously made her way across the now smoldering floor.

Seeing this, Zuko ran over to her, Katara not far behind, "Toph, come here! I'll carry you out!"

"I don't need any help Sparky," she growled, though her voice broke slightly betraying her terror, "I can do this myself—AAAHH!" An agonized scream tore from her throat as the blind earthbender, distracted by her rant at Zuko, stepped onto a fallen piece of timber.

"_TOPH!"_

Still screaming, the earthbender recoiled sharply, hopping back from one foot to the other and stumbling over her discarded pile of blankets. She fell, her hands reaching out behind her to brace for the impact on the ground.

"OWW! OW OW OW OW!" The frantic bender rolled over, ripping her hands out of the burning hearth, tears flooding down her face as the pain hit.

Zuko quickly scooped her up, cradling her to his chest protectively, and—with Katara, Sokka and Suki in tow—followed Ton towards the door, "Toph, it's alright I've got you okay? You're going to be fine Katara can heal you up in a jiffy once we get out of here, I promise!"

His words didn't do much to quell the flow of tears, but he felt the bender nod into his chest. Zuko shot a look back toward the hallway where both Seto and Mara's and Azzan and Kia's rooms were, mindful of the collapsing house around them.

"Did the others get out yet?" Suki asked worriedly, coming to his side to check on Toph as Ton and Sokka attempted to get the door open, "Is she okay?"

Katara nodded her head, "I'll be able to patch her up easy enough. But I don't think they came through the living room or else we would have seen them! I…" She trailed off, not sure what else to say to the girl with the russet locks.

"I'm—_boom_—sure they—_thud—_got—_boom_—out—_boom_—fine!" Sokka grunted out between heaves as he and Ton frantically tried to take down the door, "But—_boom—_for now—_boom _—why—_thud_—are—_boom—_the only—_thud_—two people who—_boom—_can't—_thud_—bend—_thud—_the only—_boom_—ones—_boom_—trying to—_boom_—take—_thud _—down—_crack!—_the door?"

"Darling," Suki started sweetly, "did it ever occur to you that the front door is of the _pull_-_to-open_ variety?"

The warrior growled, "Yes _love—boom_—it did. _Boom_!—In fact—_thud_—that was—_boom_—the first thing—_thud_—I tried!" He stopped his assault on the door, huffing and puffing, "I think the flames might have melted and fused the lock and bolt together because the handle didn't even budge."

"Alright then, looks like the kick ass waterbender is going to have to do all the hard work. Never trust men when it comes to getting things done!" Katara, despite the serious situation, couldn't help but stick out her tongue at both Ton and Sokka as she hurriedly bent the water out of her skin.

"I'm going to ignore that slight against me and my fellow man," Sokka pouted as he moved away from the door to stand by Suki's side, arms crossed.

"Eh sometimes it's easier to just let the little things go my friend," Ton huffed from the other side of the door, "Makes for an interesting way of life."

The fire and smoke was still building, burning at the eyes and noses of the group. Zuko pulled Toph closer to him as he looked to his fiancé, "Hurry Katara, any longer and it's going to get really hard to breathe in here."

Katara gathered her water into a ball and froze it hastily, "Here it goes!"

With a bark of effort she launched the ball of ice at the door. The sound of splintering wood and groaning hinges prompted cheers as it gave way, the smoke rushing out and into the night sky.

"Go!" Zuko barked as he jerked his head towards the open door, "I don't particularly want to die in my own element today!" He gave Katara a teasing kick in the bum, eliciting a small squeak from the bender and a playful scowl, "Move people!"

Ton went first followed closely by Sokka and Suki, the former still clearly put out by the latter's remark against his common sense.

Now it was just Zuko, Katara and Toph. Katara motioned for the firebender to go first and he was about to protest when Toph, still sniffling, whimpered, "S-Sparky…it's hot. _Really_ hot."

Zuko's argument died on his lips and he nodded to Katara, "It's alright Munchkin, we're getting out of here." He stepped over the threshold and into the clear air, Katara following close behind.

The cool air felt glorious on their overheated skin, the clean night a respite sent from the Spirits to soothe their burning eyes.

"Thank La for fresh air," Katara breathed as she felt the cool caress of the night and the pull and power of the moon. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, savoring the moment, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Ton sighed as he loosened his sore shoulder, "though a bag of ice wouldn't go amiss."

Sokka moaned, speaking for Suki and himself, "Singed, but we'll live."

Toph managed to pick her head up out of Zuko's chest, "Not funny Snoozles…that's not funny at all. I don't even want to _look_ at my hands or my foot!"

The water tribe boy snorted, "Not being funny or anything but, you _can't_ look at them can you Toph?"

_Smack!_

"Sokka, apologize!" Suki scolded, eyes narrowed and aghast at what her boyfriend had just said, "It's one thing for Toph to joke around about herself but it's something else entirely when _you_ do it! Apologize _right now_!"

"Yes Sokka," a chilling voice rang out halting all conversation, "apologize to the poor, blind earth rat!"

As one the group turned toward the voice and found a cold, calculating face smiling maniacally back at them. Long sideburns ran down the sides of his sharp face, a high topknot signifying status and, covered head to toe in full-fledged armor, Admiral Zhao sat atop his steed, seemingly back from the dead and looking none the worse for wear.

"No," Zuko breathed, his eyes growing wide with terror, "this isn't…this can't be _possible_! I saw you _fall_! You were swallowed up by the Avatar's rage during the Siege of the North! How are you _alive_?"

"Oh come now _Prince_ Zuko, you have to give me a little more credit than that! Did you really think a little water was going to stop _me?_ I find your lack of faith disturbing. Though I confess I failed in the North Pole it wasn't a _complete_ loss. Princess Yue is dead, is she not?" Zhao laughed evilly, his eyes alight with malice.

"You _bastard_!" Sokka snarled, moving out of Suki's arms and launching himself at Zhao, boomerang poised to strike, "I'll _kill_ you for what you did!"

There was the sound of something slicing through the air briefly, a slight whistling noise, before there was a sharp _ping!_ and Sokka's boomerang was knocked out of his hand. Simultaneously, the water warrior found himself pinned to the ground, an arrow through the neck of his tunic just missing his flesh and blood.

"Tut tut," Zhao mocked with a dangerous grin, "do you take me for a fool peasant? Did you really think I would come alone to apprehend the Prince and his band of merry men?" he chuckled darkly, "I'd introduce you to the Yu Yan archers, but they're currently surrounding the perimeter just waiting for any of you to make one wrong move!"

"Zhao," Zuko growled trying to maintain control on his emotions, "who sent you? How did you find us?"

The admiral snorted in disgust, "Typical of a banished prince—no honor even when talking to your betters. However, I'll humor your questions. But first," he signaled to the shadows and a group of Fire Nation soldiers—each with war paint splashed across their eyes and dressed in dark clothes, bows over their shoulders—materialized out of thin air, "I think you all know each other, yes?"

Being pulled along behind the archers, all bound in chains, were Seto, Mara, Kia and Azzan the last of whom seemed to be covered in scratches, cuts, blood and black and blue bruises. The sound of protesting wood being pulled taut revealed several more Yu Yan with their bows drawn and ready to loose arrows just beyond the light cast by the burning house.

"No!" Katara gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock, "Let them go! They've done nothing to you!"

Zhao cackled, "Now why would I go and do that? After all, our mutual friend Azzan is just as much a wanted criminal in the Fire Nation as any of you! Harboring a wife _and_ child of the water tribes and failing to report them to the Fire Lord? Rest assured he'll not be escaping again."

With a snap of his fingers one of the archers fired his weapon, the arrow cutting through the air for a blink of an eye before it embedded itself in Azzan's left leg. The captured bender let out a pained shout as the sharp head entered through his hamstring and came out the top of his thigh.

"AZZAN!" cried Kia, her horrified expression mirrored on the faces of the others.

Zuko's eyes went wide and he clutched Toph closer to his chest and took an imperceptible step in front of Katara; Zhao was a loose cannon now and with the Yu Yan at his beck and call, he was infinitely more dangerous than before. There was no way that Zuko was going to allow the self-obsessed admiral to target two of the most important people in his life.

Not if he could help it.

Their only hope was to keep the man talking—if he was busy talking about himself, he'd be less likely to hurt anyone else.

"What the _fuck_ is your problem?"

Unfortunately, Sokka didn't seem to be of the same mind as Zuko. He'd managed to work himself free of the arrow and was now standing with his fists clenched in rage, his eyes boiling with hatred for the man before him.

"You really have to ask peasant?" Zhao smirked, a vicious smile crossing his lips, "I thought it would've been pretty obvious; I'm here to kill you all and regain the favor that I lost when the siege in the north failed. Bringing the Fire Lord news of his traitor son's death as well as those of the Avatar's teachers well…I think I'll be able to retire before the week is out!"

He laughed again, sending chills up and down Katara's spine and she pulled closer to Zuko. She glanced over at Azzan and hoped that he could hang on a little longer—if they managed to get out of this, she could heal him no problem but then a thought struck her: _where was Nova_?

"Zuko," she whispered softly, mindful of Zhao watching them all with piercing brown eyes, "where is Nova?"

When he tensed, Katara knew she wasn't the only one who had seemed to forget about the small child. Zuko let out a breath, "What have you done with the baby Zhao?"

The admiral sneered, "That _abomination_ is still breathing, unfortunately. It seems I'll be required to take her before the Fire Lord seeing as she and her mother are both water tribe filth. Not that either one of them will make it out of that meeting alive," he paused for a moment before a lecherous gleam came into his eyes, "though maybe the Fire Lord will grant me the water whore as a prize for my loyalty and devotion!"

There was a low growl from Azzan's gagged mouth that, despite his injury, seemed to be pure fury.

"Archer?" Zhao prompted with a grin.

The sound of an arrow piercing the air was all the warning any of them got before a second projectile ripped through the back of Azzan's other leg, eliciting another cry of agony from the weakening firebender as he fell to his knees.

"ZHAO!" Zuko barked, his eyes narrowed in fury and steam shooting out of his nostrils, "Enough! Where is she?"

With another signal the same archer that had shot Azzan stepped forward, the lower half of his face obscured by a blood red cowl. Despite the cries coming from the child she seemed to be perfectly fine and everyone seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

This didn't go unnoticed by Zhao. With an evil smile and crazed eyes, he looked back to the Yu Yan carrying Nova, "Do it!"

There was a brief pause where the archer's eyes flicked toward his superior, to Nova and then over the huddled group of bedraggled benders and warriors. His eyes lingered on the prince briefly, their pale blue color contrasting sharply with the red war paint crossing his face, delving deeply into the amber gaze of the firebender.

He slowly placed a hand over his eyes for a moment before winking.

And then he was moving.

He tossed Nova up high into the air to the terrified screams of those around him, even Zhao who could do little more than sit there wide eyed with his mouth hanging open stupidly, and in a flash he had pulled an arrow from his quiver and fired it right at the admiral's mount causing the beast to rear up in panic and tossing the man clear out of his saddle.

Another two arrows were nocked and fired even before Nova had reached her peak, yielding blinding explosions that seared the eyes of Zhao and his men.

Simultaneously, Zuko had seemed to grasp what the archer had been trying to tell him.

"Cover your eyes! Now!" He pulled Katara into his chest, Toph resting in between them as Sokka, Suki and Ton did likewise, their eyes slamming shut just seconds before the arrows exploded in a brilliant white light.

There was a happy squeak from somewhere within the smoke cloud that had settled and a slightly muffled, "Gotcha!" before their archer ally ran out right in front of the cowering group, "Come on then, time for us to split! We don't want to be around when Zhao and the rest get their sight back! I hear you have a flying bison?"

Seeing as they didn't really have any time to question their apparent savior, the group followed with Sokka responding, "Yeah, Appa's over in the barn—or at least he was before the fire started. There's no telling where he could have gotten to by now though; he hates fire."

"What about Seto, Mara, Kia and Azzan?" Suki asked as they made their way toward the barn in the darkness.

The Yu Yan soldier shrugged his shoulders, "It's up to them really. I passed off a lock pick to the old man—Seto I take it—and gave him the same heads up I did to you guys." They got to the barn and were relieved to see the sky bison still there, albeit in a frenzied panic. "Those flash bombs won't last forever. If the others aren't here in the next thirty seconds we have to leave. No exceptions. While Zhao won't be much of a problem once we take off, those are the Yu Yan archers out there—a flying bison at a hundred yards is child's play."

They waited in a tense silence for the half minute, all of them hoping that their friends would come running through the door but their short vigil was in vain.

"Time to go," ordered the archer looking to the forlorn group before him, "and personally I don't have any experience with flying bison soooo…"

His request was obvious and Sokka slid forward to take the reigns in hand, "Come on Appa, we've got to go now buddy. Yip yi—"

"Wait!" Ton shouted just before Sokka could finish, "Wait! I'll go find Azzan and the others and make sure they're safe! You all _get out of here_! Okay?"

"What?" Zuko growled, "Ton are you _insane_? Do you know who that is out there? Do you know what he's capable of? Zhao is a _monster_ through and through and you actually want to go back out there?"

Ton smirked, "I've got to your Highness; Azzan's my buddy, I can't just leave him out there. Not after what we've been through anyway. Go on and get going, I'll be fine." The earth native turned to step out the door when Katara's voice stopped him.

"If you do manage to get them out of this Ton, keep a lookout for Hakoda of the Water Tribe also known as The Blue Wolf. He's my father and he's going to be moving around constantly within the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom trying to gather forces to counteract the enemy. You'll find sanctuary there with him."

With a nod, Ton disappeared out into the night, deceptively quiet for a man of his size.

"Go," the Yu Yan reminded Sokka, handing off Nova to Suki carefully, "_now!_"

Sokka snapped out of his daze, "Right! Appa yip yip!"

And then they were off, the barn falling fast below them as they rose higher and higher through the air. Shouts were heard from the burning embers of the farmhouse; the archers had obviously recovered as several were aiming their bows up at them.

"Get ready," their own marksmen warned as he nocked an arrow on his bow, which—now that they weren't being held hostage—they all noticed, wasn't an ordinary bow at all. It had two arms that were curved in and then away from the string with the grip the only straight part on the weapon. "I said get yourselves ready! They're going to start firing—_HEADS UP_!"

A volley of arrows was headed right for them, hurtling through the air at and showing no signs of stopping.

Katara quickly got up and bent her water out of the skins at her side. She threw up a wall of water, effectively nullifying half of the volley. "Zuko! There's still more!"

The firebender was loath to set Toph down, but it was either that or become a human pincushion! "Hey Short Round, I know your hands and feet are killing you, but I need you to hold onto me as tight as you can, okay?"

"Got it Sparky," she hurriedly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, crossed them at the wrist and ankles, and squeezed, "go for it!"

With a deep breath, Zuko unleashed a wall of white flames that burnt the remaining arrows to a crisp. He looked to Suki who held baby Nova, "Alright Suki?"

The Kyoshi Warrior nodded with a weak smile and proceeded to coo at the infant in her arms, managing to stifle her cries of discomfort for the time being.

Up in front Sokka was watching their Yu Yan companion fire arrows in rapid succession, which he could see, even from this height were managing to strike their intended targets. One by one he nocked his black and white feathered arrows, took aim, and fired, each one finding a new home in the chests and sometimes heads of the scattered archers below.

"Whoa…" was all he managed to muster as he steered Appa higher into the clouds, "dude you are _good_!"

Satisfied that they were out of range, the archer smirked confidently while shouldering his bow, "I'd better be good—I'm a Yu Yan! Or at least…I _was_."

Katara and Zuko sat down now, the former gesturing for the fire prince to bring Toph to her, "Come on Toph, let me see your hands and feet." Zuko gently set the small bender down, settling her feet in Katara's lap. The waterbender gasped as she was finally able to examine the earthbender's feet, "Oh Toph! Your feet are _scorched!_ Thank La we got out of there when we did or you would've had to wait for these burns to heal naturally."

She bent the water out of one of her skins, the liquid surrounding her hands like gloves before they started to glow white. She ran them slowly over first one foot and then the other, easily cleansing the soles of their disfigurement and then moved on to her hands.

"There, how do you feel now, better?" the healer asked, wiping the gathering sweat from her brow.

"Sweetness, I could _kiss_ you right now! I can _see_ again!" she paused, "Well…once we get on the _ground_ I'll be able to see again!"

Both Zuko and Katara smiled as the younger girl threw herself into the waterbender's arms, "Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"You're welcome Toph," Katara said, kissing the blind girl's head, "I'm just glad we're all okay now."

The three of them looked toward Appa's head where Sokka and their savior were sitting, the latter staring at them, obviously having just witnessed Katara's healing session with Toph.

"Now _that_," he said reverently, "is a neat skill to have." After a moment of awkward silence he continued, "Right, introductions sorry about that!" He managed to scoot over towards the huddled group and stuck out his hand amicably.

"The name's Archer…the archer."

* * *

A/N: Well there's chapter two for you ladies and gentlemen! It was hard to write at first, but then things started to flow a little better once I got into the meat of it. I really hope you all enjoyed it.

As always, please drop a review if you've got something on your mind because I am always eager for any kind of criticism in regards to my writing. Love you guys!

-HakushoRurouni


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello again folks, I am so sorry about the wait for this! I've been drowning within the Naruto section and barely managed to break the surface just recently. Great series with so many possibilities for fanfiction writers. But, we're here for some Avatar fiction! More specifically Avatar: Emergence fiction! I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed putting it to paper/word document.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, just the plot to this story...and certain characters.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Ch.3—The Archer

"Wait," Sokka asked, squinting his eyes in confusion, "your _name_ is Archer and you just so happened to _be_ an archer?"

Pale blue eyes glinted with suppressed mirth, "Yes, my life did wind up playing out that way."

The water tribe warrior groaned, "Man you just lost like…ten cool points. Were your parents _drunk_ when they named you or something?" he looked over at his companions, "Honestly; who name's their kid _Archer_? That's like me naming my kid _fighter_ or…or _waterbender_! Who _does_ that?!"

"Sokka!" Katara and Suki shouted in unison, both of them appalled at the teen's behavior.

"That's a hell of a way to thank the guy who just saved our asses Snoozles," Toph commented, a delicate eyebrow raised in mild humor, "I think the proper way to go about this is to say 'Thank You'."

"Nah, it's fine," Archer replied with a smirk, "I always used to think the same thing when I was growing up. Why, for the love of all that is good in the world, would my parents name me Archer? It never made sense to me but I never got to ask them. A few months after I was born my mother was killed in a house fire. My father disappeared into the world and, just recently, I learned of his passing on to the next life."

Immediately, the mood dropped onboard the bison as the group digested that little bit of information. Finally, Zuko spoke.

"Was it the Fire Nation?" At Archer's questioning look the banished prince elaborated, "You said your mother died in a house fire…was the Fire Nation the cause?"

"No, nothing like that," the Yu Yan responded with a shake of his head as his face went grim, "there was a fight. My father and mother weren't exactly married when I was conceived. Don't get me wrong," he assured them with a soft smile, "they loved each other, so it wasn't forced. My mother's husband had gone off to fight in the war and word came back that he had been killed in combat."

He chuckled darkly, "Of course we all know how that goes. Her husband came back to the shock of the entire town; they were a well-known couple and news of his death had been met with great sadness. It wasn't long before my mother began to really show and people started to talk—there was no way the baby could have been her husband's as he'd only been back for a few weeks. He sent her away; he said he didn't want a cheating whore darkening his home.

"So naturally, my mother decided to live with my father. He took her in without question and I was born a month later. That's when things went south. They kept receiving death threats from her husband, but when they brought it to the authorities they were ignored; having a child out of wedlock was heavily frowned upon and a lot of the villagers were actually on her husband's side. So they arranged for me to be taken away for safety reasons. But it never got that far."

With a heavy sigh Archer ran a hand through his dark locks, leaving behind several stray tufts sticking up every which way, "On the night I was supposed to have been taken, my mother's husband came to the house with a mob—their goal was to teach mother and father a lesson. My father fought and amidst the ensuing beating someone lost the handle on the torch they were carrying and it caught on the curtains. My mother tried to intervene, tried to make everybody see reason but she was struck down—her husband wasn't in his right mind and he pulled a dagger on her.

"She was dead by the time the mob—unable to quell the blaze—fled and my father and her husband realized what had happened. My father was ordered to get out of the house and leave my mother's spouse to die with his wife. He thought it was only fair that he be together with her in death. My father gathered me up and left but he could not stand to look at me; I was too fresh a reminder of what had happened. He left me in a Fire Nation orphanage for 14 years before finding me again to tell me _why_ I had been abandoned."

He finished his story with a matter of fact tone. To the captivated audience, it seemed that he was totally at peace with how his life had played out thus far.

Katara decided to break the ice, "So how did you wind up joining the Yu Yan archers?"

"When I was old enough, I ran away from the orphanage and was living on the streets. It was tough for a kid and I never had any money so I had to resort to pickpocketing and stealing. I got into trouble a few times with the law and every time I was taken in I saw the Yu Yan practicing on the archery range. I thought they were incredible and eventually I was getting myself caught on purpose just so I could catch a glimpse of them."

The group laughed at the goofy looking smile on Archer's face, "Eventually one of the guards caught on and he jokingly suggested that I go over and show them my stuff. So I did. They laughed at me when I asked, but I didn't let it get me down; the minute I was holding that bow in my hand I just knew archery was what I was meant to do. I hit the bull's eye on the first shot. They had me outfitted, tattooed and training the next day."

"Those are tattoos?!" Sokka shrieked, unknowingly voicing the thoughts of the others, "I thought that was just war paint! You know, a ceremonial thing you guys did when you went out on a hunt…so to speak."

"Nope," Archer grinned rubbing a hand vigorously across the markings to prove his claim, "legitimate Yu Yan tats! The procedure itself is more of an initiation right than anything and believe me when I say that it _really _sucks when you're an eight year old with virtually no pain tolerance."

"Suki," Sokka whispered excitedly, "my new friend is a badass." The Kyoshi Warrior giggled, while looking down at Nova to make sure she was comfortable.

Zuko shook his head and looked at the archer, his eyes narrowing, "Why did you help us escape? I'm not trying to sound ungrateful," he amended when Katara leveled a glare at him, "but I have to know. Why?"

With a sigh Archer closed his eyes and fell onto his back, hands behind his head, "To be perfectly honest with you I've been looking for an out for about a year now. Things started getting out of hand when princess Azula took control of the corps; she had us being shipped out all over the Fire Nation and put on guard duty at some of the higher security prisons. Then Fire Lord Ozai had us called us back to the capitol when he started his purge. Despite my upbringing, I've never supported Ozai's approach to the war; he had us patrolling the roofs of the city and targeting anyone suspected of being water tribe. If there's one thing I hate it's when innocent people are being oppressed by their monarch." He grit his teeth with a scowl, "Eventually we picked up a trail in the city—an old couple was rumored to be harboring a woman of the water tribe and her child. By the time we were ready to move in, they had vanished and taken the ferry to the mainland.

"When we questioned the ferry captain he confirmed that there had been an old couple on board the previous day, but no woman and young child. When we returned to the Fire Lord with the information Zhao was there waiting in the palace. Naturally, all of us were stunned: the way we had heard it the old admiral had kicked it in the North a little over a year ago and yet there he was worming his way back into Ozai's good graces. Seeing as the Fire Nation had lost its navy during Zhao's last campaign, he was given control of the Yu Yan archers and told to follow up on our last lead.

"After questioning what must have been every single person in the port city we _finally_ caught a break. There was a farmhouse way out in the country that was kept by an old married couple and what appeared to be their daughter and grandchild. So we saddled up and moved out. We came to the farmhouse not two hours ago and ran into you guys. Prince Zuko, you were an unexpected bonus."

The silence that followed Archer's story weighed heavily on the assembled group, the reality of just what exactly Ozai and the Fire Nation had wrought upon the world settling like a lead weight in each of their stomachs.

It was Suki that decided to break the silence, her hands gently brushing Nova's fringe out of her now sleeping face, "How are we going to help Azzan and the others? From the stories that Sokka's told me, Admiral Zhao is a psychotic maniac and he's got our friends!"

Sokka frowned as the reality of their situation sunk in again, "I hate to say it guys, but right now, our top priority is going to have to be finding somewhere to hide…not breaking the others out."

Katara was about to protest but Zuko's placating hand on her shoulder quelled her words. The firebender spoke instead, "Sokka's right, no matter how much it sucks to hear it said. We need to regroup with Hakoda and the rest before we even think about doing anything else; charging head first into the heart of the Fire Nation with some half-cocked hope of breaking them out is basically signing our death warrants."

An angered grunt came from the blind earthbender sitting in between Katara and Zuko, "That's a load of bullshit Sparky and you know it! We've never left any of our friends hanging before, _especially _when they need our help! Azzan and Ton helped us break you out of the Boiling Rock and you're seriously thinking of leaving them to the whims of a madman?!"

Even though she couldn't see, her eyes flashed dangerously and her fists clenched, nails digging deep into her palms.

"Toph…" Zuko sighed running a hand tiredly through his ebony locks, "even if we went after them _now_ nothing would be guaranteed. As a matter of fact, Zhao and the Yu Yan would have the advantage in numbers _and_ weapons, not to mention they don't have to protect an _infant_! It's a suicide run."

The girl growled deep in her throat, "So what? Do you think they would leave us to die just because the odds weren't in their favor?! No way! We don't just give up on our friends because it's _inconvenient_! I thought you were better than that Zuko."

The fact that her glare—promising pain and suffering to any who disagreed with her—was directed at the open space between Katara and Zuko did absolutely nothing to dissolve the ferocity in the milky jade pools. And her words cut the former prince deeply. He _was_ better than that. But he _knew_ that it was stupid.

Completely, totally and _utterly_ stupid.

Soft hands grasped his own comfortingly, the roles from only minutes before now reversed as Katara quashed the frustration and self-loathing building up within her fiancé. Softly she addressed the blind girl.

"Toph, sweetie, I know exactly how you feel, I really do: you feel like we're abandoning them, like we're not trying hard enough. You weren't the only one who felt like slapping these two," she nodded her head in the direction of her brother and lover, "for even suggesting it but they're right; we aren't exactly fresh and rested. We have to wait. We'll get them Toph…just not now."

The pint-sized powerhouse looked like she was about to continue her protest, her fists clenched and her lips set in a grim line, but Zuko quickly scooted over and wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her close against his chest.

"I'm sorry Toph, I really am. We just _can't_ go after them right now…I'm sorry." His words seemed to finally break the girl's hard exterior as she broke down.

She gripped the front of Zuko's shirt tightly in both hands, the tears streaming down her face making quick work of the fabric, "It's not fair! W-why does it feel like there's n-never an _end_ to all of this shit?! What did we do Sparky? What d-did we do to deserve it, huh?"

Zuko looked toward Katara, his own eyes questioning, at a loss as to what to say. The brunette stared helplessly back at him, words failing her as well as she came to join in the hug.

"I don't know Short Round," the firebender whispered, the ears of everyone aboard the flying bison vying desperately for some kind of justification even as their eyes focused anywhere else, "I just don't know."

Yet again a silence fell upon the bedraggled group, this one deafening and oppressive at the same time, each of the riders doing their best to come to terms with Zuko's statement.

Sokka drew closer to Suki and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she leaned into his side, mindful of the sleeping bundle in her arms, seeking the familiar embrace of her boyfriend's body.

Katara wrapped her arms tightly around both Zuko and Toph, the latter still crying—though the dry heaving sobs had subsided to stifled whimpers—and the former trying to soothe the shaken girl's fragile form.

The only one not seeking comfort amidst the dead silence was Archer, the teen seemingly concentrating on the open sky before them. However, if they had seen his eyes, the quintet would have noticed the determined and defiant edge raging within the ice blue irises.

"You want to know what you did Toph?" he began, his tone soft but even, "You want to know why you've been targeted by any and all branches of the Fire Nation armed forces for the past year?"

The small girl was glancing out from the protective wall created by the arms of Katara and Zuko, one vacant eye trying to pinpoint the location of the older teen's voice, hungry for some kind of justification.

A slight gleam came to Archer's eyes as he continued to gaze out into the slowly lightening sky, the sun barely beginning its ascent, "You want to know what you did to deserve the ire of Fire Lord Ozai and, by association, the entirety of the Fire Nation? It's simple," he laughed here, a slightly manic edge creeping into his guffaw, "You made them afraid."

"W-what?" Suki whispered, her eyes flicking to Sokka's trying to see if he was making sense of what the Yu Yan was saying, "What do you mean?"

Archer turned to look at them all now, a wide smile splitting his chiseled face, no doubt defined by years of rigorous training, "You guys didn't think that it was just the Avatar that spooked Fire Lord Sozin did you? Or Azulong? Ozai? No," he snorted, "while the threat of the Avatar was a very real and pressing concern it was always expected and accounted for. It was the allies that the Avatars managed to obtain throughout their travels that frightened the royal family. Benders from all walks of life—even from the Fire Nation _herself_—that stood up against the tyranny and oppression dealt out by men crazed with power! Warriors who had control over no element but proudly and fearlessly fought side-by-side with Roku…with Aang."

He threw a meaningful glance at each of the teens as he spoke, eager to get his point across, "You, all of you, through your choice to follow and aid the Avatar and stand against the Fire Nation…you've made them afraid. It's one thing to gain confidence by bearing witness to the awesome powers granted to an Avatar by the spirits; the troops are humbled and star-struck, turned into mindless, gaping fish. But looking up during a seemingly fruitless battle and seeing master benders and warriors—_teenagers—_fighting with such heart and conviction and taking down scores of enemies…._that _is what _truly_ inspires greatness in the hearts of your allies and strikes fear into those of the Fire Nation."

Archer laughed again, though this time it seemed to be less sarcastic and more sincere, "That's what you all did to deserve being chased around the world and, despite the fact that the Avatar is gone, you all still remain…that _fear_ still remains."

It looked as if the group was going to settle into yet another bout of silence, albeit this one more baffled and stunned than somber, but Sokka managed to break the tension this time, a doubtful look on his face.

"You're joking, right?" he asked the blue-eyed bow wielder, "There is absolutely no way that we've inspired fear into the hearts of thousands of Fire Nation citizens; we've hardly even set _foot_ in the Fire Nation! Tui and La, our leader was a monk who refused to step on an _ant _and did his best to _avoid_ violence! How could we have _possibly_ scared all those people, much less the Fire Lord?" He jerked his thumb at Zuko, "The way Zuko tells it, his father is a heartless bastard with psychopathic tendencies whose only emotions are anger and the joy he gets out of inflicting pain on the innocent! I'd be hard-pressed myself to even _think_ about fearing anyone else! OW!"

Suki smacked the back of her boyfriend's head, glaring at him, "Sokka! Apologize!"

The water tribe boy pouted and grumbled his response, "Sorry for telling the truth Zuk—OW! Woman, I don't need nor want a _concussion_! OW! Alright, alright! I'm sorry for badmouthing your father, okay Zuko?"

"Thanks Sokka," Zuko replied deadpanned as he rolled his eyes, "it's always a pleasure to be reminded of my roots and of how rotten they are."

Toph snorted as she pulled away from the prince and waterbender, "Archer, do you really believe that?" She sounded hopeful, but a slight tremor remained in her voice.

A genuine smile made its way onto Archer's face this time as he looked toward the sun, now completely over the horizon, shining brightly as its warmth began to spread over the land.

"I really, truly do Toph. Ozai is right to fear you; the courage and confidence that you inspire in others through your actions is so much more a threat than the Avatar ever was. Look at it this way; it was the duty of the Avatar to fight the Fire Nation and defeat the Fire Lord to bring back the balance of the four nations sure, but was it his _destiny_?" Archer shook his head, "Obviously not. I believe that that destiny—defeating the Fire Lord and ending his reign of terror—belongs to you, Toph."

He turned to face the group again, "And to you, Zuko. And Katara, Sokka, Suki…myself. I believe it is the destiny of every single individual in this world who _wants_ freedom to defeat the Fire Lord. This doesn't just fall to an individual—it never should have. Destiny is what _you_ make it, not what someone else tells you it is. Each of us controls our own fate through the choices that we make each and every day."

The bow prodigy met each of their eyes in turn before concluding, "I choose to fight; to stand against Ozai and his bid for world domination. What say you all?"

Zuko nodded at the younger boy, his eyes alive with renewed confidence, "I choose to fight as well."

"As do I," Suki whispered assuredly, nudging Sokka lightly when he didn't immediately follow her lead.

"I'm in too," the boomerang user conceded, "as if I wouldn't be!"

Toph laughed loudly, her earlier tears and fear replaced by a glowing feeling of power instilled in her by both Archer's speech and her friends, "Oh you'd better believe I'm down for a little Ozai ass kicking!"

Only the waterbender was left and, as she grasped Zuko's hand—finding comfort in the familiar calloused palm—determination seeped into her entire body, "Let's do it. For the freedom of this world and the people that inhabit it as well as those that have given their lives for it…let's do it."

A deep roar went up from the bison beneath them as if in agreement with its passengers.

"Oh hell yeah," Toph exclaimed loudly, "even Appa wants to kick some Fire Lord ass!"

Sokka whooped as he shook Suki from side to side excitedly, "To ass kicking!"

"Sokka!"

"You idiot!"

"Watch _out!_"

"Shut up!"

"Oh boy…"

"WAAAAH! WAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The zeppelin wasn't the biggest vehicle that Mai had ever traveled in—being friends with the princess of the Fire Nation made sure of that—but the cold metal halls, lit only by what little light managed to filter in through the windows, seemed depressingly empty and dark without the presence of the bubbly pink clad acrobat.

It had only been two days since Ty Lee's death and already it felt like an eternity had passed. She felt like she was in a daze, almost as if she was stuck in some kind of dream world, only this was a nightmare and she couldn't escape.

She shuddered as a cold draft made its way through her bones coming from seemingly nowhere. Things weren't right; she had found herself crying at random intervals throughout the night, her eyes red and swollen, the composure that she prided herself on forgotten.

And Azula.

Her friend—her _last_ friend—was completely distraught. The princess had flown through the entire spectrum of negative emotions in a matter of seconds _countless_ times in the last forty-eight hours. She would burst out into spontaneous rants at her brother and his accomplices, blaming them for the death of the acrobat, as she tossed around her bright blue flames before falling to her knees and crying into her pillow wondering how she could have let things get so out of hand. It was truly a disturbing sight for the emo assassin, although Mai could relate.

Ty Lee was never supposed to die.

Not her.

With a sigh that nearly brought her to tears again, Mai approached Azula's room, the ornate door closed tight, though not tight enough to keep in the sounds of rage coming from the princess.

"Dammit Azula," Mai breathed sadly, resting her head against the door, "you're supposed to be the strong one…not me."

Despite her constant effort to assert her dominance and to always appear like a cold -hearted individual, Mai and Ty Lee were the only ones privy to Azula's relatively simple nature. She loved to be pampered on her off days even going so far as to rent out entire spas when the three of them were traveling. She enjoyed reading any kind of literature—particularly mushy romance novels—though her royal highness had no idea that her two friends had stumbled upon her reading said material several times. And she enjoyed just being a teenager.

That wasn't to say that she was completely innocent when it came to socializing with anyone outside of their little trio, but the times where she could just relax were few and far between thanks to the nearly constant presence of her father and what he expected of her.

Silently opening the door, Mai was barely able to dodge the jet of flames that shot toward her from across the room. The deadly plume seemed to dissipate almost on contact with the wall, leaving behind pitch-black scorch marks.

"Azula!" Mai hissed as she patted out some of the stray blue tongues that had splashed onto her robes, "Would you please calm down? Or at least watch where you're throwing fire?" The assassin winced upon noticing the red and puffy eyes of her childhood friend as well as the dark bags marring the normally flawless face of the firebending prodigy.

It looked like Azula wasn't sleeping well either.

A fierce growl tore from the ebony haired girl's throat, "Dammit Mai, this wasn't supposed to happen! We were supposed to complete a routine check-up of the Boiling Rock and come right back to the palace! No surprise prisoners or interrogations!" She pulled at her disheveled hair in anger, "My damn brother wasn't supposed to show up out of the blue and start a fucking _riot_! He wasn't supposed to get broken out of his interrogation by a complete idiot and a traitorous ex-navy captain! And he—"

Her voice broke here, the flames that had been encompassing her hands swiftly fading out as her eyes fell to the floor, shame filling the amber orbs, "He made me…he made me…I…Ty Lee…none of this would've happened if he had just stayed _gone_! Why? Why, why, why, why, _why_?!"

Mai was by her side in an instant, catching the distraught princess before she collapsed to the ground, wrapping her arms around the now sobbing girl, "It's all right Azula, it's okay. Just let it out, let it all out."

For a long while, the only sounds in the room were the muffled cries of the broken girl as she clung desperately to Mai, as if afraid that if she loosened her grip even slightly, her only remaining friend would vanish and leave her, just as Ty Lee had.

It wasn't as if Mai was unaffected either. She could feel the tears falling down her face, though hers were shed in silence; she had to be the strong one for Azula now, even if she herself felt like falling apart.

"M-Mai?" Azula mumbled, her voice muffled by the pale girl's robes.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, the long haired girl answered, "Yeah?"

"Am I…am I a m-monster?" the princess stuttered, "I killed one of my closest friends…I was dead set on killing my brother too! What _am_ I?!"

She was waiting for an answer, desperate for some kind of confirmation—be it condemnation or reassurance, it didn't matter.

She just wanted _something_.

"Azula," Mai began, her mind frantically trying to find the right words to say in order to console her friend, "it was an accident. You didn't mean to…to hit Ty Lee, you weren't aiming at her when you attacked you _know_ that! Ty Lee just…you know she always had a big heart and she hated to see pointless death. She did what she did because she believed it was right. If you blame yourself for that then you might as well be condemning who Ty Lee was!"

Mai pulled away from Azula, bringing her friend to arms length and staring straight into her golden pools, "Azula, what happened at the Boiling Rock was just a freak accident! I don't blame you for it—I never _will_. Ty Lee was our friend and she loved us both…she never held anything against us and I don't think she would want you to fall into depression on her account. Life goes on Zula, we're still stuck in the middle of a war and I need you a lot more than you think."

The tears had stopped flowing, though a few still found their way down Azula's disheveled face, "B-but…"

With a half-hearted glare, the usually stoic specialist silenced the weak protest, "No, no buts Azula. I loved Ty Lee too, but the fact of the matter is that she's gone now and we can't do anything about it! But we're still here…we have to keep going, for Ty Lee if nothing else."

The princess wiped at her eyes, getting rid of the tear tracks that remained, and nodded, "You're right Mai. For Ty Lee we'll keep going…we'll keep on fighting just like she would want us to." There was a slight pause before she spoke again, "But what about what I did to Zuko? What I did to my own flesh and blood?"

Now here was a problem that Mai couldn't easily reconcile. Azula had been nipping at Zuko's heels, sometimes dangerously so, for as long as she could remember. She was always the first to belittle him, the first to hurt him and the first to rat him out to his father whenever she thought she could get him into trouble. Azula had always told Mai and Ty Lee that she was just acting like any regular sister would and they had never really questioned it even though, in hindsight, they had always disapproved of it.

"I think," Mai began carefully, "the fact that you're questioning your actions means that you're actually feeling remorse over it. Somewhere, deep down in your subconscious, you love your brother; really, truly love him. You've just been forced to repress it for so long by your father that you don't know how to handle it anymore, you know?"

The heir apparent took in her friend's words, turning them over and over in her mind. What she said made sense; her father's influence had obviously gotten to her at a young age and prompted her to harass her brother to no end. Eventually, the Fire Lord's hostility to anything that even remotely resembled a failure led to a similar reaction from his daughter.

But there was something else nagging at the back of her mind, an almost imperceptible feeling of guilt that didn't have its origins in the topic of Ty Lee. And then, as if someone had flicked the 'on' switch, memories started flashing before her very eyes.

_She and Zuko, five and seven years old respectively, were in their playroom one day each minding their own business, when Zuko had taken out one of his new toys—a model dragon. _

_Frowning at her own source of entertainment—a ratty old turtle-duck doll—Azula decided that she wanted to play with her brother's toy. Quick as a flash, she was up and had wrenched the wooden carving out of his unsuspecting hands. _

"_Hey!" he cried angrily, his fists clenched at his sides, "Give that back Azula, that's _my _toy! You have your own!"_

_In response she stuck her tongue out at him, "Dolls are stupid and boring! Besides cool toys like this belong to _cool people_, not stupid dum-dums!" _

_And the chase was on. _

_She managed to get all the way out into the family's private courtyard before Zuko, with a determined cry, caught her in a flying tackle. They rolled and rolled before landing in a squealing heap right in front of the small pond where Fire Lady Ursa was feeding the turtle-ducks. _

_Kicking and screaming gave way to punching and biting before Ursa was able to grasp what was happening. Hurrying over to her fighting children, she pulled Azula off of a bleeding Zuko, his left eye already beginning to swell shut from his sister's assault. _

"_Azula! Zuko! What on earth is going on here? Why are you two fighting?"_

_Naturally it was Azula who spoke first, her natural tendency to shy away from trouble leading her to lie, "Zuzu and I were in the playroom playing with our new toys when I asked him if I could use his dragon for a while. He said I could. I had only had it for a few minutes when he started yelling at me and saying that "stupid dumb girls weren't supposed to be playing with boy toys". He scared me so I ran over here to try and get away from him but then he tackled me and started trying to hurt me before you managed to separate us mother." _

_The look in Ursa's eyes told Azula that her mother had not bought a single word of her story. Turning to her son, the matriarch asked, "Zuko?"_

_With tears rolling down his face, Zuko sniffled, "A-Azula and I were in the playroom and I w-was minding my own business when all of a sudden she took my dragon toy! I told her to give it back but she just told me I was a dum-dum and that I didn't deserve it before she started running. I tackled her and tried to get m-my toy back and then you stopped us." _

_It had been over from the minute they had tumbled into the courtyard, and, as Azula accepted her week long grounding while enviously watching her mother coddled her brother, she couldn't help but notice that the toy dragon lay forgotten on the ground._

_It was always Zuko._

The next one came immediately after.

_Another time, Zuko and Azula had been sparring out in one of the training fields under the watchful eye of their mother. It was one of Azula's first times bending after discovering that she could produce blue fire, so she was determined to show her brother up. _

_Just because he was older than her didn't mean he was better. _

"_Come on Zuzu," she taunted, a smirk quirking her lips, "is that really all you've got?" _

_Zuko, bent over and panting from exertion at trying to keep up with his sister's lithe frame and quick movements, had scowled, "Shut up LaLa. I'm supposed to go easy on you; you're my sister." _

_A white-hot anger had taken over at his words. He was taking it easy on her because she was his sister? She'd put him in his place. With a furious roar, Azula lit up both palms with azure fire and unleashed an assault on Zuko that he could have never hoped to defend against. _

"_AZULA!" her mother screeched as she ran over to the fallen form of her son, "Stop it, stop it now! The fight is over! You've won! You're being dishonorable!" _

_The stream of flames ceased leaving Azula breathing heavily. That was it? No 'good work Azula' or 'that was an incredible display daughter'? No, she realized, she wouldn't get that from her mother. She was too busy making sure all of her son's boo-boos were taken care of. _

_It was _always_ Zuko._

Another memory hit her.

_One summer the royal family had taken a vacation to Ember Island to stay at their beach house and have fun away from the responsibilities of the Fire Nation capitol. She and Zuko were playing out in the turbulent waves when a sharp pain had shot up her leg and sent her crashing into the water. _

_She hadn't realized how harsh the surf was as she clutched her foot in pain, too focused on her injury to care about anything else. Before she could take a breath she was pulled under the surface by the harsh surf and sent tumbling further away from shore._

_The next few minutes were hazy at best, the brief respites from the watery depths not helping the princess get her breath back at all as she was repeatedly slammed by wave after wave. And then suddenly warm arms wrapped around her, comforting and reassuring, and pulled her out of the tumult and into glorious air. _

_Upon breaking the surface Azula greedily took in gulps of precious oxygen, her mind finally clearing up as the life giving substance flooded her body, dimly aware of the fact that she was being moved into the shallows. _

"_You okay LaLa?" _

_Looking up, Azula was stunned to see that her savior was none other than her dum-dum brother. His eyes, she noticed, were filled with genuine concern as he looked her over trying to discern if anything was wrong, his arms still wrapped securely around her._

_He had saved her. _

Zuko_ had saved_ her_! _

"_I'm…I'm okay," she mumbled, hiding her face in his chest in embarrassment, "I cut my foot on a rock and tripped and then…and then…" she couldn't finish, the shame overwhelming her. _

_Luckily Zuko understood, "It's okay now LaLa, I've got you—you're not gonna drown on my watch!" he hugged her tightly and whispered softly in her ear, "I love you Azula; I won't let anything happen to you." _

"_Zuko! Azula!" Ursa came running up to them from the shore, her eyes wild with fear as she looked over her children, "Are you both okay? What happened?" _

_After she heard Zuko's explanation Ursa turned to her daughter who, though now out of her brother's arms, was still clinging to his hand firmly, "Azula you know better than to go out too far into the ocean! You're too young and not strong enough to be out there all by yourself, especially when the current is so wild! You're really lucky that your brother was watching out for you and was close by. No more water for you today, do you understand?" _

_Her head hanging, the princess nodded. _

"_And Zuko, my baby boy," Ursa praised, a smile lighting up her face, "you were really brave and didn't even hesitate to dive after your sister, even when you know that you're not supposed to be out that far. Don't do it again, okay?" At his nod she ruffled his hair lovingly, "Good. Now come on, lunch is ready and your father is getting restless."_

_Ursa picked up her daughter, frowning as she saw the cut on her foot and shaking her head, "Come here Azula, we don't want you getting swept off again."_

_And because of the water dripping off of her, no one noticed the silent tears running down Azula's face. _

_It was always _Zuko.

Coming back to herself, Azula felt a bittersweet smile coming to her face as she looked up into Mai's eyes.

"I was jealous," she whispered softly, her words barely audible to the assassin, "I was jealous of what Zuko had with our mother…of the fact that he had our mother's love and I didn't. I had to fight and claw and _earn_ my way into father's good grace and there was Zuzu basking in our mother's love…given that love_ freely_. It always seemed like mother loved him so much more than she did me; she would go out of her way to find him in the palace to play, give him hugs for absolutely no reason whatsoever…take him out to eat and give him special treats because he was 'mommy's little boy.'"

Mai listened intently, eyes and ears riveted to the trembling girl in her arms; Azula had never really talked about her past away from Mai and Ty Lee, whatever happened when her two friends weren't present usually stayed locked up inside her.

"And then when I tried for her attention I could see it in her eyes—she thought something was wrong with me. She said as much out loud to herself a few times whenever she thought I couldn't hear her or wasn't paying attention. She had good reasons of course; I wasn't exactly the best little sister or daughter I could've been. I constantly fought with Zuko, usually instigating the confrontations, and normally gave him either a bloody lip or took shots at his confidence.

"Eventually I started to believe it, that I wasn't right. I looked at myself in the mirror for hours on end trying to figure out what was wrong with me; was it my face? Was it my hair…my nose, ears, hands or feet? What could possibly be so wrong with me that I could bring such shame to my own mother's eyes?"

She didn't realize it, but she had started crying again, "I never figured it out. And then all of a sudden, she was gone. I woke up one morning and she had vanished into thin air and my grandfather was dead. Zuko never stood a chance after that. Father despised him…despised his weakness. And finally I, the prodigy, was getting all the attention! Everything that I could have possibly wanted was give to me without question. I had everything I could ever need; except my mother's love…and there was no way I could ever get that now."

Catching Mai's eyes again, she finished, "I was jealous of Zuko Mai…I still am."

As the sunlight began to filter in through the windows, Mai saw a small flicker flash through Azula's eyes, but the emotion was so foreign on the princess that the assassin couldn't be sure it had really been there. It had looked like…Mai shook her head, deciding to leave it alone for the moment.

"I think," Azula spoke up, her voice a little unsteady, "I think I want to go to sleep now Mai. I'm kind of tired."

"Of course," the pale girl responded as she helped the younger girl up and onto her bed, "you get some sleep and I'll wake you as soon as we're back home, okay?"

A nod, "Alright. And Mai? Thank you…you know, for listening. I really needed to get that off my chest."

A smile cracked Mai's normally cold exterior, "No problem Azula. That's what friends do. Sleep well."

And with a soft _click_ she closed the door, leaving Azula to get a restful sleep for the first time in two days.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Well there you go guys! An incredibly large amount of cookies goes to anyone who can identify the origin of Archer because he's just so badass! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as always, drop a review and let me know what you all thought of it!

Til next time!

-HakushoRurouni


End file.
